'81 Schaumburg High classmates wed on 8/1

Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
Minister Brandyn Simmons of Schaumburg applauds as the marriage between Nicolette Zullo and Scott Kochanski both of Schaumburg is sealed with a kiss at Voelkening Park in Schaumburg on Monday. They are members of the Schaumburg High School class of '81 which just held its 30th anniversary reunion last month.

By Eileen O. Daday Daily Herald correspondent

Monday's date had a certain ring to it for a pair of former Schaumburg High School graduates.

Scott Kochanski and Nikki Zullo married on Monday, 8/1, less than two weeks after their 30th high school reunion. Both were in the class of 1981 at Schaumburg High School.

"The timing was just right," said the bride. "It's all been like a dream."

Many of their high school classmates were at the wedding, which took place on the shores of Volkening Lake, located just east of the place where the couple first met as freshmen at Schaumburg High School.

The minister who officiated at the ceremony, Brandyn Simmons of Schaumburg, seemed to sum up the sentiment of the couple's friends and family members, when he had them shout in unison, "It's about time!"

"We're so happy for them," said Cathy Miller of Hanover Park. "It's great that they finally got together."

Another classmate, Paolo Cascio, now working as a filmmaker in Los Angeles, said the couple's rekindling, sparked their entire reunion weekend, which was celebrated with a formal dinner at Chandler's in Schaumburg on July 23, before gathering the next day for a less formal outing at Arlington Park.

"I think it's so neat that their wedding came on the heels of our reunion," Cascio said.

As the couple told it, they met their freshmen year and developed a close friendship over the next four years.

"I used to walk her home every day, right over there," Kochanski said, pointing to the lake path that ran parallel to Schaumburg Road. "We never dated, but we were best friends."

They parted after graduation and went on to marry and start families of their own. As they retell the story, they met two years ago over Facebook. By this time, Kochanski had been married twice and had two children, while Zullo was divorced and raising her four sons.

"Once we started talking over Facebook, it all came back," Zullo said. "We've been together ever since."

After the ceremony, they celebrated with a reception under the lake's gazebo, which their friends helped organize for them.

"Everyone's been phenomenal," Zullo said.

Their guests agreed, and added that their music selections hit all the right notes too, including the closing one, "At Last."